Letter about The Beatles visit to Bangor up for auction

A handwritten letter from John Lennon’s Aunt, Mimi Smith, which dates from September 1967 and refers to The Beatles visit to Bangor, is set to be auctioned next weekend.

The Beatles visited Bangor on 25th August 1967 to attend a conference at the Normal College, now the University’s Management Centre, led by Maharishi Yogi, a guru in Transcendental Meditation.

The visit to Bangor however was tragically cut short, after the group heard the news on Sunday 27th August, that their manager Brian Epstein had died age 32, following an overdose of sleeping pills.

In the letter to a Beatles fan, Mimi Smith mentions how much Epstein will be missed by the group and herself. She also mentioned the band’s experimentation with LSD where she says the band don’t really do drugs. She also comments on not understanding why they needed to meditate.

Mimi Smith, who renowned fro her forthright views, brought up Lennon as a child in Liverpool, she wrote: “I haven’t seen John. The sad loss of Brian has upset them greatly & altered their plans. He will be sorely missed as a good friend and advisor to them. It was a great shock to me also, I knew him very well.”

On the band’s keen interest in the teachings of the Maharishi, Mimi Smith wrote: “I don’t understand why they need an Indian, or India to meditate. That can be done here without any fuss. The basic teachings of their church will give them all they seem to be looking for.”

During their visit to Bangor, The Beatles also held a press conference in which they renounced the use of drugs, but Mimi said: ““The boys have not ‘given up drugs’ simply because they have never been drug takers. They tried L.S.D because there was so much talk about it. They, at least John will not do so again. I’m sure they have decided against any form of stimulant.”

The letter and dated envelope, which has an estimate of £500-£600, is among various lots on sale at the Beatles Memorabilia Auction at the Unity Theatre in Liverpool, on Saturday 25th August 2018.

The letter from Mimi Smith, which refers to The Beatles visit to Bangor, is set to be auctioned next weekend.